After dropping out of school, I chose to join a girls' band.

Faced with Yue, who didn't want to tell her the truth, Lixi's sixth sense vaguely felt that she might be about to be tricked.

--------

After resting together for a while, the two of them simultaneously felt a pang of hunger in their stomachs.

They thought back carefully and realized that they hadn't eaten since the performance ended.

"There are still some ingredients in the refrigerator... If you don't mind, I'll cook for Lixi-chan?"

Yue recalled that there were still some ingredients she had bought the day before yesterday in the refrigerator, more than enough to cook for just the two of them.

"Ah... I'll help too..."

Lixi felt that it wouldn't be right for her to just sit there and wait for Yue to cook, so she offered to help Yue with the cooking.

"It's okay, it's okay..."

Yue suddenly recalled how she had taught Momoko before, and asked again with some concern, "Excuse me, but how good is your cooking, Riki-chan?"

"Huh?...I think it should be passable..."

Although Li hope didn't know why Yue asked that question, she still subconsciously answered it.

Although she often eats convenience foods and energy drinks, she still tries to cook occasionally in her spare time. She also learned some simple bread-making methods from Yamabuki-senpai in Ring, and she thinks her cooking skills are about average.

"I see... That's good. It's still better than Peach's cooking. Is fried chicken okay? Could you please cut up these ingredients, Lixi?"

Yue said this while washing the kitchen knife and cutting board.

She remembered that the first time she taught Momoko, she made a thick omelet. That dish didn't require cooking ingredients, so much so that she hadn't even realized that Momoko, who used a knife-like weapon during Revue, didn't know how to cut vegetables.

When I first saw Taozi cutting tomatoes, she held the tomato down with her fingers while cutting, instead of curling her fingers inward into a fist-like position to cut the vegetables.

If she hadn't been watching over us, we probably would have cut our hands on the peach.

Fortunately, Lixi didn't have this problem. Compared to Taozi, Lixi was at least normal in handling ingredients. Although Lixi cut slowly, her posture was still quite standard, so she probably wouldn't hurt herself.

After seeing that Lixi was alright, Yue took out the chicken breast she had bought earlier from the refrigerator and put it in her oven to defrost.

Although defrosting meat in the oven doesn't actually produce the same quality as defrosting it normally, Yue was in a rush and couldn't worry about that now.

After confirming that the chicken breast had thawed completely, she skillfully cut it into chunks and then massaged it in the prepared ginger water.

While waiting for the chicken and pork to marinate, Yue casually washed the rice and put it into the rice cooker.

Now that she had some free time, she became concerned about Li hope's situation, so she turned to look at Li hope and found that he had already shredded the cabbage.

"Moon... all the ingredients here are chopped, is there anything else we need to do?"

Although the cabbage shreds that Lixi cut were a bit uneven in thickness, and most of them were too thick, it was still better than the bloody tomato and egg stir-fry that Taozi had eaten before.

"That's all. Now we just need to wait for the chicken to marinate before frying it."

When the performance begins: Chapter Ninety-Two: Wakaba Mutsumi

Su Shi curled up on the sofa, her body trembling slightly, as if struggling with her inner turmoil. The faint light from her phone reflected in her dazed eyes, creating a cold, piercing glow.

Her expression was heavy and empty, like someone who had lost everything and had lost interest in the world around her. She seemed shrouded in darkness, immersed in an endless void, devoid of life and vitality.

Today is another day that she is home alone. Nagasaki Motoyo's mother will not be home for dinner today because of work, so Motoyo is also alone in this big room.

“Crychic…”

Su Shi looked at the old Crychic homepage on her phone and muttered to herself.

"If I can reach the Top Star level, I can... go back in time and save Crychic..."

Nagasaki Momoko remembered what Kurosawa Momoko had told her. She had been hesitant, thinking that maybe Mutsuko would bring Shoko to see their performance, and that things might change after Shoko watched the show.

But reality slapped her hard in the face. After hearing "Spring Shadow," Xiangzi ran out, and it seemed there was no chance of getting Toyokawa Xiangzi back to Crychic.

"I... I just wanted to bring back the happy times we all had..."

Su Shi was talking to herself, giving the impression that she was trying to convince herself.

“Crychic’s time was so joyful… why… everyone…”

"If we could go back to the past... Crychic would never disband..."

Su Shi's tone became increasingly firm.

“That’s right… As long as I reach the top star position, I can save Crychic.”

Having made up her mind completely, Su Shi's eyes were terrifyingly resolute. She opened her contacts, found the phone number marked with Kurosawa Momoko's name, and pressed the dial button without hesitation.

--------

Just as Momoko Kurosawa finished discussing the next steps with Sakura Sakura and was contemplating whether to continue taking advantage of her leave to have some more time outside or go straight back to visit Aoi, her phone rang in her pocket.

Peach picked up her phone, and a familiar number appeared on the screen. Her eyes sparkled with anticipation, and a bright smile spread across her face.

"I didn't expect things to develop so quickly... I originally thought Xiao Su Shi would try to find Xiao Xiang again before contacting me, but I didn't expect her to choose this path so soon?"

"However, this means I'll have to speed things up, since several of the actors I booked haven't even taken the stage yet, and the number of people for the audition hasn't met the requirements..."

The moment Taozi saw Su Shi's phone, she rang a lot, but then she pressed the answer button, gently held the phone to her ear, and waited for that familiar voice to ring out.

"Kurosawa-senpai... I've thought about what you mentioned before."

"Are you really not going to make any more changes? This is a very important matter that will affect your whole life."

Momoko Kurosawa offered token advice to Motoyo Nagasaki, knowing that her words were unlikely to change Nagasaki's mind and might even provoke a rebellious reaction.

As expected, after hearing Momoko's advice, Nagasaki Motoyo's words became even more resolute.

"No need... I've already made up my mind."

Su Shi's reply came almost without hesitation.

Momoko sensed Nagasaki Motoyo's determination and spoke slowly.

"Well then... Nagasaki Motoyo, welcome to the Top Star audition. Please wait patiently until all the actors arrive and the stage opens."

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Meanwhile, Wakaba Mutsu returned home alone, only to find that a guest had arrived.

"Xiao Mu, come and say hello to Aunt Sakura Sakura."

When Wakaba Mutsumi's mother, Mori Minami, saw her daughter return home, she invited the other girl over to greet Sakura Sakura.

"Greetings."

Like a doll, Ruoye Mutsu obeyed her mother's orders and came to greet her.

Good evening, Xiao Mu.

Sakura Sakura carefully examined Mutsu Wakaba, as if appreciating a work of art. Her gaze swept over the smooth, emerald green hair, each strand of which seemed like a delicate thread, making one want to touch it.

Then her gaze slid down Ruoye's nose to her lips, which were slightly parted, as soft and beautiful as pink rose petals.

She had to admit that Momoko was right. In reality, Ruoye Mutsu's face was indeed as exquisite as a doll's, and much prettier than the photos she had collected in the materials.

She had to admit that Taozi's choice of people was quite good. Even without the halo of Ruoye Mu's parents, she could make the child famous just based on her looks.

"Xiao Mu, Aunt Ying came to our house this time to ask if you would like to join the band that her company is planning."

Minami explained to Mutsuka Wakaba why Sakura Sakura had come, even though Sakura was already a well-known actress.

However, she was still tempted by the offer from the company behind Sakura Sakura, since, according to what they had just said, several other companies were involved in the project.

If they could get involved, they could help their daughter quickly establish herself in the entertainment industry.

"Xiao Mu, didn't you form a band before? What was the name of that band formed by the Toyokawa family kids again? Cry... Crychic? I don't know if it will have any impact on Miss Sakura, but anyway, my Xiao Mu's guitar and piano skills are good enough to meet the requirements. She can be a guitarist or keyboardist in the band."

Minami Mori tried her best to recommend her daughter to Sakura Sakura.

"Well... Ms. Senmi, I think it's better for Mumi to make the decision herself regarding this specific situation."

Sakura Sakura looked at Mutsuka Wakaba and said sincerely, "What are Mutsuka's thoughts?"

"I have no idea."

Xiao Mu shook her head and said.

Sakura Sakura wasn't surprised by Mutsu's answer, or rather, she hadn't come here today with the intention of recruiting Mutsu in one go.

Especially after Momoko Kurosawa specifically emphasized that they should join the band as much as possible based on their own wishes.

Thinking about this, Sakura Sakura couldn't help but silently complain to herself, "Ugh... Momo really makes me run my legs off with just a few words..."

Sakura Sakura inwardly complained about how Momoko Kurosawa bossed her around, but she still put on a kind and friendly smile when facing Mutsuki Wakaba.

If Yue and Chu Hua were here, they would be very familiar with this smile. It was the same smile that Sakura used when she recruited them to her side.

She said to Wakaba Mutsu in a gentle tone, "It's okay, Mutsu can take her time to think about it. I've already given my business card to Ms. Senmi. You can contact me anytime until our project is fully staffed."

When the Performance Begins: Chapter Ninety-Three - Stage Construction in Progress

As Sakura Sakura stepped out of Mutsumi Wakaba's house, she felt the fresh air rush towards her, and a sense of relief welled up in her heart.

She breathed a sigh of relief, relaxed her tense nerves, and felt that she had finally escaped that somewhat tricky situation.

"I definitely prefer children. Even troublesome kids like Tsuki and Momoko are much better than Minami..."

Miss Sakura secretly marveled at how easy it was to communicate with the artists under her management. In contrast, communicating with those seasoned veterans who had been in the entertainment industry for many years was always full of complexity and trouble. In this circle, people's hearts are unpredictable, and superficial friendliness often masks endless deceit and treachery, leaving people feeling exhausted.

Just now, the other party was not only promoting their own daughter, but also trying to get involved in their project. Fortunately, she made several refusals, which made the other party give up the idea.

"How about we find a place to have a good drink..."

Sakura Sakura had just stopped walking, her mind racing with plans to find an izakaya (Japanese pub) to relax. Just as she was imagining herself enjoying sake and delicious snacks under the warm lights, her phone rang. She took it out, and the screen displayed the name "Momoko Kurosawa."

Before the call even connected, just by seeing the caller's name, Ms. Sakura Sakura knew that her happy time tonight was probably going to be ruined again.

"I have to take back what I just said. Ms. Peach, who calls office workers late at night, isn't cute either."

"Sigh..." She sighed softly, feeling somewhat helpless. The other person might not have meant to bother her, but receiving work-related calls at this time always made her feel a little annoyed.

Sakura Sakura pressed the answer button, and the phone rang with Momoko Kurosawa's voice. She forced a smile, trying to sound less dejected, "Hey, Momoko? Today is my rare day off, you're not going to tell me about some work emergency, are you?"

"I'm sorry, but our search plan may need to be expedited."

Momoko Kurosawa's voice came from the other end of the phone.